Ten people guilty of cyberbullying France’s first lady
A Paris court found 10 people guilty of cyberbullying France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron by spreading false claims online about her gender and sexuality, including claims she was born male.
On Monday, the court sentenced all defendants to sentences ranging from cyberbullying awareness training to eight-month suspended prison sentences.
The court noted “particularly derogatory, derogatory and malicious” comments targeting Brigitte Macron, which referred to false allegations of trans identity and alleged pedo crime.
The defendants, eight men and two women aged between 41 and 65, are accused of publishing “numerous malicious comments” claiming that President Emmanuel Macron’s wife was born male and linking their 24-year age difference to pedophilia.
Some posts were viewed tens of thousands of times.
Brigitte Macron did not attend the two-day hearing in October. Speaking on TF1 national television on Sunday, she said she launched legal proceedings to “set an example” in the fight against harassment.
Daughter Tiphaine Auzière said her mother’s life had “deteriorated” since the online harassment had intensified.
“He cannot ignore the terrible things said about him,” Auzière told the court. He said the impact spread to the entire family, including Macron’s grandchildren.
It is considered that 51-year-old defendant Delphine Jegousse, known as Amandine Roy and who describes herself as a medium and writer, played a major role in spreading the rumor after she published a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021.
He was sentenced to six months in prison.
The X account of 41-year-old Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, known as Zoé Sagan on social media, was suspended in 2024 after her name was mentioned in many criminal investigations. Poirson-Atlan was sentenced to eight months in prison.
Other defendants include an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist.
Some told the court their comments were intended as humor or satire and that they did not understand why they were being sued.
The case comes after years of conspiracy theories claiming that Brigitte Macron was actually born with the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, the name of her brother.
The Macrons also filed a defamation lawsuit against conservative influencer Candace Owens in the US.
The Macrons, who have been married since 2007, first met at the high school where he was a student and a teacher.
Brigitte Macron, who is 24 years older than her husband, was called Brigitte Auzière at the time, married and a mother of three children.
Emmanuel Macron, 48, has been president of France since 2017.
